


Childhood Dreams

by BlackKatJinx



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Gen, I love that Lance loves mermaids, Merman Shiro, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 17:36:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12113793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackKatJinx/pseuds/BlackKatJinx
Summary: Still, despite all his admiration and wonder for merfolk, Lance never expected to see one. It was just a wayward dream. Another silly fantasy. A child's wish.Something that was forever impossible.Until it wasn't.





	Childhood Dreams

Lance grew up on tales about mermaids.

Ever since he was little, his mother, father, older siblings: they all had indulged him with stories of creatures who lived in the sea. Some of which were half-human and half-sea creature, playful but shy, curious about those who lived beyond the sea. Others whom were seals but shed their skin to become human on land. Then there were sirens, creatures who lulled sailors to their deaths by singing. He could remember his father telling him that wind whistling through the rocks were their cries.

And Lance? Lance had absorbed it all with wide-eyed wonder.

Living near the sea for all his life only increased his fascination with them. As a kid he often spent his free time exploring a small cove on the beach for any signs of the elusive creatures. Leaving out snacks he thought they'd find tasty, or things they might be curious enough to examine. He'd then find a good hiding spot, sometimes with his sister's old camera, and would wait.

And wait.

And wait. Sometimes until it was almost dark and he knew he'd be late for dinner.

He always returned home empty handed.

As he grew older Lance stopped hunting for mermaids, his attention pulled to other, more important things, but he never forgot about them. Whenever he spent time near the sea, the teen often wondered if there were any hiding in the depths. Lurking just beyond the rocks, always out of sight but watching him.

Still, despite all his admiration and wonder for merfolk, Lance never expected to see one. It was just a wayward dream. Another silly fantasy. A child's wish.

Something that was forever impossible.

Until it wasn't.

Bubbles flew from Lance's mouth in a rush as he gasped, completely forgetting that he was underwater. Without a _mask_. Instantly he ducked down behind the small batch of coral and slapped his hands over his nose and mouth to preserve the rest of his precious oxygen. He stared at the rocks across from him, keeping as still as possible, unlike his thoughts which were spiraling and colliding with each other like crazy.

Mermaids were real. Mermaids were real. _Mermaids. Were. Real._

Lance had been busy exploring a small section of the reef. The location was a familiar one; he often visited whenever he wanted to go diving or just be by himself. In all his years there, not once has he seen a mermaid. Turtles, hundreds of fish, crabs and other such things that are often found in the reef, sure.

But a mermaid?

That was a first.

Lance had just pulled himself over the lip in one of the deeper parts of the reef when he glimpsed movement and turned his head. No more than fifteen yards down in the gully below was a distinctly human shape lingering among the sand. It had been only a few seconds glance, thanks to his gasp of surprise, but it was enough time for Lance to note two important facts. The upper half was human and the lower half was most definitely _fish_.

It wasn't long before the teen dared a second look over the edge, and grasped the end of the reef under his fingers. He moved carefully, trying not to disturb the water too much as he peeked down.

The mermaid—correction: _merman_ —was still there, languidly gliding his way through the wide stretch of rock and coral, low enough that his belly was surely dragging over the sand in some places.

Lance couldn't make out very many details from his current distance and he didn't care. He felt like he was eight again, sitting on the rocks while his favorite book lay on the beach by the water, safe enough to avoid being swept away but close enough for any curious mermaids to reach. The impossible sight alone was enough and he gave his full attention and focus to the marvel below him.

His tail, decorated in a black and white spotted pattern, gave powerful but graceful strokes as he moved. His skin was far lighter than Lance's own, tinted by his surroundings. Or maybe it always had that gray-ish hue. Lance could tell the pattern continued up over what he could see of their broad shouldered back, along the merman's neck and disappeared into his hair, which was mostly dark colored except for a stark white tuft near the front.

The longer Lance watched, the more he noticed there was something odd about the merman. His swimming seemed to be off. Not by much but enough that the teen was beginning to pick up on it. Like he seemed to be favoring his right side a lot.

Just then the merman tilts his body, swinging around in a small loop to head back in the direction he had come and Lance saw why. His right arm was gone, nothing more than a scar covered stump that ended just below the shoulder.

A mixture of emotion welled up inside Lance. Sorrow about the injury warred with frustration at how something like that could have happened. Who in their right mind would hurt a mermaid!?

He didn't have time to dwell on the thought.

Distracted by the discovery, Lance had failed to notice his own movements until it was too late. Gradually, he'd been drifting closer without realizing and the loose bit of stone he was clutching suddenly gave away under his fingers. It bounced and tumbled down the gully wall, the muted sound barely heard by the teen.

A sound that was crystal clear to the merman. Immediately the head whipped around in Lance's direction, eyes wide and fins flaring in surprise. Lance froze but it was too late.

Their eyes met for half a second before the merman turned away and took off through the water.

Without a second thought, Lance propelled himself into the gully after him.

It was an action was that stupid, poorly planned and not at all thought out. It was instinct. It was the result of a silly dream reignited.

Hey, wait! Hold on! Lance wanted to cry. I won't hurt you!

He nearly did. Almost forgot he was still holding his breath, which was beginning to weigh heavily in his chest. He'd have to breathe soon. Needed too. But he couldn't. He couldn't lose sight of the merman.

Unfortunately they were faster. Even with his injury, the merman glided through the water like a torpedo, completely at home in the depths of the sea. Lance barely caught the glimpse of the splayed tail disappearing around a bend and quickly swam after it. He rounded the corner thirty seconds later, which brought him to the opening of an underwater cave and he came to a halt. Lance was barely able to see more than couple feet into it, it was too dark.

Lance spun in the water, eyes frantically searching the rest of the outcroppings and ledges for any sign of his target.

There were none.

He would have kept searching. Would have examined every crevice of coral and rock and sand for signs of the merman. He desperately wanted to.

Too bad he needed to breathe. Like _now_. More bubbles erupted from his mouth and his lungs burned. Time was up. With a powerful kick Lance rose to the surface, bursting through with a gasp and a deep gulp of air. He bobbed like a buoy for a little bit as he floated, lungs aching as they worked to get the rest of his breath back, before returning to the shore.

Flopping onto the sand, Lance stared up at the sky above. The sunlight was blinding and he closed his eyes. His mind was still muddled with emotions, ranging from utter amazement, to frustration, to faint disappointment and exhaustion. The realization of what he had seen not completely sinking in at first.

One thing was for certain: It hadn't been his imagination.

His dark face split into a huge grin and he threw an arm over his eyes. Laughter bubbled in his chest and he kicked his tired legs against the sand in a giddy burst.

A real, _honest to god_ , mermaid.

Wait until he told Hunk about this!!!

 

**Author's Note:**

> So I love Lance's love of Mermaids. That they were one of his childhood dreams. So I took it and ran with it. Or rather jogged considering the length.(Speed walked?) I am not sure if I'll continue this as it was written in like an hour, but I am in love with the idea. 
> 
> Featuring Merman Shiro because I need more Merman Shiro in my life. Also need more Lance interacting with Merfolk rather than being a merman himself. 
> 
> Apologies for any grammatical errors.


End file.
